Number Seventy-Two

Country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1948

Production year

1948

Premiere

9 October 1953

Runtime

73 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Dvaasedmdesátka

Czech title

Dvaasedmdesátka

English title

Number Seventy-Two

Synopsis

Marta Kulišová is wrongly convicted of murdering her husband and sent to prison for ten years. In the court process, she doesn't reveal the real murderer, who she knows and to whom she is bound by an uncertain feeling and belief that he killed her husband out of love for her. In the first year of her imprisonment, she writes a theatre play, in which she describes her case - marriage with a ruthless cheater, quarrels with him and with his mistress, getting acquainted with another man who prevented her suicidal thoughts. After nine years, the director of the prison decides to show Marta's play before the prisoners and the jury who condemned Marta years ago. He considers the play to be a psychological experiment, which could help bring a final light on this case. The experiment is successful, the real murderer gives himself up. But the renewal of the trial doesn't take place. Marta realizes that she would put the blame on the man she has been thinking about for nine long years. She takes the blame for the murder onto herself and believes that, after her sentence is finished, her freedom will not be inconsolable loneliness.

Note

The film was screened in the cinema of Young (kino Mladých) on 30 November 1948 to the cultural officers of the ROH. After sharp protests from this working-class audience and a press campaign against the release of the film, further exploitation was banned by order of the Minister of Information Václav Kopecký. The film did not premiere in cinemas until five years later in October 1953.

Cast

Dana Medřická

vězeňkyně Marta Kulišová/herečka Dana Medřická

Vladimír Šmeral

vězeň Melichar/cirkusák Trojan

Eduard Dubský

Karel Kuliš, Martin manžel

Vladimír Řepa

karbaník Mašek/herec Vladimír Řepa

Vítězslav Boček

karbaník Kníže/herec Vítězslav Boček

Marie Burešová

Julča Ramešová/herečka Marie Burešová

Vladimír Hlavatý

inženýr Budecius, bývalý poručík

Rudolf Deyl ml.

vyšetřující soudce

Rudolf Deyl st.

režisér Rudolf Deyl

Bedřich Vrbský

ředitel věznice

Antonín Kandert

JUDr. Tereba

Emil Bolek

porotce

Karel Kastner

inspicient

Jiří Těšík

mladík hrající karty

Josef Steigl

strážník

Miroslav Grác

soudní úředník

Emil Dlesk

dozorce

František Marek

dozorce vrchní strážmistr Sláma

Jan W. Speerger

dozorce strážmistr Hájek

Crew and creators

Assistant Director

Ivo Novák

Based on

František Langer (Dvaasedmdesátka – divadelní hra)

Screenplay

Miroslav Rutte, Karel Smrž, Vladimír Šmeral (spolupráce na scénáři)

Director of Photography

Ferdinand Pečenka

Camera Operator

Bohumil Kolátor

Production Designer

Štěpán Kopecký

Assistent Production Designer

Vladimír Syrovátka

Set Designer

Josef Pavlík

Costume Designer

Fernand Vácha

Film Editor

Jan Kohout

Assistant Film Editor

Jarmila Müllerová

Sound Designer

Emanuel Formánek

Production Manager

Zdeněk Reimann, Miloš Mastník

Unit Production Manager

Václav Kutil

Consultant

Dr. Karel Šubrt

Music

Music Composed by

Dalibor C. Vačkář

Music Performed by

FISYO (Music Conducted by Otakar Pařík), Český pěvecký sbor (Music Conducted by Jan Kühn), Ivan Kawaciuk /housle/, Jan Kaláb /klavír/

Singer

Gita Schmidtová (sóla), Pavel Kurtz (sóla)

Production info

Original Title

Dvaasedmdesátka

Czech Title

Dvaasedmdesátka

English Title

Number Seventy-Two

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia

Copyright

1948

Production Year

1948

Production specifications

start of filming 15 January 1948
projection approval 09/1948 (konec povolení k promítání září 1953)
projection approval 23 March 1949 (neschváleno do distribuce)
withdrawal from distribution 4 May 1960

Premiere

preview 30 November 1948 (kino Mladých, Praha)
premiere 9 October 1953 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Kotva /3 týdny/, Veletrhy /1 týden od 16. 10./, Arbes /1 týden od 13. 11./, Revoluce /1 týden od 20. 11./ a Aero /1 týden od 27. 11./, Praha)

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Studio

Barrandov

Creative Group

II. výrobní skupina Čáp – Procházka, František Čáp (umělecký šéf II. výrobní skupiny), Antonín Procházka (produkční šéf II. výrobní skupiny), III. výrobní skupina Frič – Reimann (dokončení), Martin Frič (umělecký šéf III. výrobní skupiny), Zdeněk Reimann (produkční šéf III. výrobní skupiny)

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

73 min

Original length in metres

2 150 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,37

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

mono

Versions

Czech

Dialogue languages

Czech

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech

Awards

Vítěz

Event: Aprobační komise pro schvalování českých filmů

1948
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Dana Medřická

Vítěz

Event: Aprobační komise pro schvalování českých filmů

1948
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Jiří Slavíček

Vítěz

Event: Aprobační komise pro schvalování českých filmů

1948
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Ferdinand Pečenka

Vítěz

Event: Aprobační komise pro schvalování českých filmů

1948
Praha / Czechoslovakia
Vladimír Šmeral